name	search-first
description	Research-before-coding workflow. Search for existing tools, libraries, and patterns before writing custom code. Systematizes the "search for existing solutions before implementing" approach. Use when starting new features or adding functionality.
metadata	{"origin":"ECC"}

/search-first — Research Before You Code

Systematizes the "search for existing solutions before implementing" workflow.

Trigger

Use this skill when:

Starting a new feature that likely has existing solutions
Adding a dependency or integration
The user asks "add X functionality" and you're about to write code
Before creating a new utility, helper, or abstraction

Workflow

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  1. NEED ANALYSIS                           │
│     Define what functionality is needed      │
│     Identify language/framework constraints  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  2. PARALLEL SEARCH (researcher agent)      │
│     ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐  │
│     │  npm /   │ │  MCP /   │ │  GitHub / │  │
│     │  PyPI    │ │  Skills  │ │  Web      │  │
│     └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  3. EVALUATE                                │
│     Score candidates (functionality, maint, │
│     community, docs, license, deps)         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  4. DECIDE                                  │
│     ┌─────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌─────────┐  │
│     │  Adopt  │  │  Extend  │  │  Build   │  │
│     │ as-is   │  │  /Wrap   │  │  Custom  │  │
│     └─────────┘  └──────────┘  └─────────┘  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  5. IMPLEMENT                               │
│     Install package / Configure MCP /       │
│     Write minimal custom code               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Decision Matrix

Signal	Action
Exact match, well-maintained, MIT/Apache	Adopt — install and use directly
Partial match, good foundation	Extend — install + write thin wrapper
Multiple weak matches	Compose — combine 2-3 small packages
Nothing suitable found	Build — write custom, but informed by research

How to Use

Quick Mode (inline)

Before writing a utility or adding functionality, mentally run through:

Does this already exist in the repo? → Search through relevant modules/tests first
Is this a common problem? → Search npm/PyPI
Is there an MCP for this? → Check MCP configuration and search
Is there a skill for this? → Check available skills
Is there a GitHub implementation/template? → Run GitHub code search for maintained OSS before writing net-new code

Full Mode (subagent)

For non-trivial functionality, delegate to a research-focused subagent:

Invoke subagent with prompt:
  "Research existing tools for: [DESCRIPTION]
   Language/framework: [LANG]
   Constraints: [ANY]

   Search: npm/PyPI, MCP servers, skills, GitHub
   Return: Structured comparison with recommendation"

Search Shortcuts by Category

Development Tooling

Linting → eslint, ruff, textlint, markdownlint
Formatting → prettier, black, gofmt
Testing → jest, pytest, go test
Pre-commit → husky, lint-staged, pre-commit

AI/LLM Integration

Claude SDK → Check for latest docs
Prompt management → Check MCP servers
Document processing → unstructured, pdfplumber, mammoth

Data & APIs

HTTP clients → httpx (Python), ky/got (Node)
Validation → zod (TS), pydantic (Python)
Database → Check for MCP servers first

Content & Publishing

Markdown processing → remark, unified, markdown-it
Image optimization → sharp, imagemin

Integration Points

With planner agent

The planner should invoke researcher before Phase 1 (Architecture Review):

Researcher identifies available tools
Planner incorporates them into the implementation plan
Avoids "reinventing the wheel" in the plan

With architect agent

The architect should consult researcher for:

Technology stack decisions
Integration pattern discovery
Existing reference architectures

With iterative-retrieval skill

Combine for progressive discovery:

Cycle 1: Broad search (npm, PyPI, MCP)
Cycle 2: Evaluate top candidates in detail
Cycle 3: Test compatibility with project constraints

Examples

Example 1: "Add dead link checking"

Need: Check markdown files for broken links
Search: npm "markdown dead link checker"
Found: textlint-rule-no-dead-link (score: 9/10)
Action: ADOPT — npm install textlint-rule-no-dead-link
Result: Zero custom code, battle-tested solution

Example 2: "Add HTTP client wrapper"

Need: Resilient HTTP client with retries and timeout handling
Search: npm "http client retry", PyPI "httpx retry"
Found: got (Node) with retry plugin, httpx (Python) with built-in retry
Action: ADOPT — use got/httpx directly with retry config
Result: Zero custom code, production-proven libraries

Example 3: "Add config file linter"

Need: Validate project config files against a schema
Search: npm "config linter schema", "json schema validator cli"
Found: ajv-cli (score: 8/10)
Action: ADOPT + EXTEND — install ajv-cli, write project-specific schema
Result: 1 package + 1 schema file, no custom validation logic

Anti-Patterns

Jumping to code: Writing a utility without checking if one exists
Ignoring MCP: Not checking if an MCP server already provides the capability
Over-customizing: Wrapping a library so heavily it loses its benefits
Dependency bloat: Installing a massive package for one small feature

When to Use This Skill

Starting new features
Adding dependencies or integrations
Before writing utilities or helpers
When evaluating technology choices
Planning architecture decisions

name	search-first
description	Research-before-coding workflow. Search for existing tools, libraries, and patterns before writing custom code. Systematizes the "search for existing solutions before implementing" approach. Use when starting new features or adding functionality.
metadata	{"origin":"ECC"}